HomeMy WebLinkAbout01 - Minutes - AmendedNovember 24, 2020
CITY OF NEWPORT BEACH Agenda Item No. 1
City Council Minutes
Study Session and Regular Meeting
November 10, 2020
I. ROLL CALL - 4:30 p.m.
Present: Mayor Will O'Neill, Mayor Pro Tem Brad Avery, Council Member Joy Brenner, Council
Member Diane Dixon, Council Member Duffy Duffield, Council Member Kevin Muldoon
Absent: Council Member Jeff Herdman
II.
City Attorney Harp announced that the Closed Session item will be pulled from the agenda.
SSI. Clarification of Items on the Consent Calendar - None
SS2. Status of the General Plan Update 6
Community Development Director Jurjis utilized a presentation to discuss the General Plan
Update Steering Committee (GPUSC) meetings and engagement, Me Regional Housing Needs
Assessment (RHNA), the Housing Action Plan, the Housing Element Update Advisory
Committee's (HEUAC) efforts, and current focus and schedule for the Housing Element and
Circulation Element.
In response to Mayor O'Neill's question, Community Development Director Jurjis noted the
HEUAC is working through the California Department of Housing and Community
Development (HCD) form, which has to be filled out with the Assessor Parcel Number (APN) of
each parcel the City plans to use in the Housing Element. Mayor O'Neill encouraged the public
to watch the video of the HEUAC's review of almost 200 parcels and noted that an HEUAC
subcommittee will discuss affordable housing and present a report to Council.
Community Developmentr Jurjis continued his presentation detailing the schedule and
noted a potential vote ofok orate.
In response to Ma� Pro em Avery's questions, Community Development Director Jurjis
believed single-family homes will be included, noted the HEUAC has not focused on single
family dwellings, but on medium to high density neighborhoods, and stated that Uptown
Newport is a model of what housing will look like in the future if this Housing Element is
certified and the Land Use Element is updated. Mayor O' Neill added that an Uptown Newport
project cannot be built in areas like Balboa Islanda, and at most, another unit could be built on
a Balboa Island parcel.
Community Development Director Jurjis continued the presentation with a discussion of the
Land Use Element, Safety Element, and budget and estimated costs.
In response to Council Member Dixon's questions, Community Development Director Jurjis
reported the estimated project cost was originally $2.5 million, and noted that some agencies
are updating their Housing Elements inhouse and other agencies draft specific plans rather
than update their Housing Element. Council Member Dixon noted there were demands to look
at certain parts of the City for new land uses.
Community Development Director Jurjis concluded his presentation by announcing the Housing
Suitability Virtual Workshops scheduled for November 16 and 17, 2020.
In response to Mayor O'Neill's questions, Community Development Director Jurjis indicated
that Council authorized staff to draft an appeal of the RHNA numbers based on the City being
subject to regulations relative to the Coastal Act and John Wayne Airport (JWA) and the impacts
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City of Newport Beach
Study Session and Regular Meeting
November 10, 2020
of COVID-19. Mayor O'Neill added that he signed a letter to the Southern California Association
of Governments (SLAG) requesting they forma litigation subcommittee to justify the 1.3 million
units as suggested by SLAG, and stated that Yorba Linda Council Member Peggy Wong has
asked SLAG to advance legislation that counts the housing units if a state agency denies
housing development on a site, like Banning Ranch.
In response to Council Member Dixon's question, Community Development Director Jurjis
indicated that HCD provided the allocation to SLAG and it is uncertain how HCD justifies the
numbers. Mayor O'Neill added that this was legislation followed by administrative policy.
In response to Council Member Brenner's questions, Deputy Community Development Director
Campbell reported two projects have been approved and one is under review, the total units of
all three projects is over 1,000 units, and the City can include those in the RHNA number.
Community Development Director Jurjis indicated that the HEUAC has not focused on
subdivisions but on a site inventory to obtain the most density, confirmed that the City can get
credits for accessory dwelling units (ADU), and stated that the study showing a decline in
population was not a part of the appeal. Council Member Brenner expressed concerns regarding
the HEUAC finding more high-density sites than are needed, the community not supporting the
draft plan based on little interaction during outreach meeting polling questions being
structured, the impacts of COVID-19, community complaints about not having a master plan
and that projects are piecemealed, believed that Council should have a community group to
brainstorm ideas, and acknowledged that HEUAC Member Susan DeSantis is familiar with
visioning. I -ow
In response to Mayor Pro Tem Avery's estions, Ommunity Development Director Jurjis
advised that development is controlledgprivate markets and property owners' feedback is
needed. Mayor Pro Tem Avery noted, co idering recent concerns regarding growth, circulation,
and traffic, an important step is for development to be appealing enough for property owners
and developers to buy into, and development has to work for low-income units. Community
Development Director Jurjis indicated the projects coming forward are 5% affordable and,
because the land is expene, affordable housing is hard to include and the City may need to
over -design or over-zon� fake up that gap.
Nancy Gardner believed th using Element and Land Use Element will be more dominant
and put the City into certai corners, and hoped a community group or additional members on
the HEUAC would look at the upcoming elements.
Hoiyin Ip noted the need to bring excitement to the community and hoped to see the City use
multiple paths.
Susan DeSantis, Housing Element Update Advisory Committee member, referred to innovative
projects that could generate community engagement, shared a presentation illustrating three-
dimensional modeling of different densities, and suggested the use of this technology in the
Housing Element Update process.
Jim Mosher indicated about half of the 1.3 million units allocated to SLAG was deemed
necessary to relieve existing housing conditions, Newport Beach's RHNA number is divided by
income categories, the affordable housing number is immensely larger than it seems if housing
projects provide only 5% affordable housing, and believed the website and publicity efforts are
not generating excitement.
David Tanner requested that Council clarify the scope of the General Plan Update, noted
piecemealing is prohibited by the California Environmental Quality Act (CE QA), suggested that
Council evaluate new strategies to comply with state housing laws and instruct staff to describe
the existing environmental setting prior to asking for public comment, and asked if the City can
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